As a SAHM, homemaking is my job. I should be purposeful about keeping my home clean, organized and homey. Notice, I said 'should'...which correctly implies that I don't always hit that mark!
Lately, I have been becoming more and more aware of how unhealthy our conventional cleaning products are. A label proclaiming a product as 'natural' in no way guarantees that there is nothing harmful in it. If you think about it, there are all kinds of 'natural' things that are harmful...poison ivy, arsenic, brown recluse spiders...so why are consumers so easily swayed by advertising and packaging that tout's a products 'natural-ness'? I think it is because we have become complacent and too trusting of the mega-corporations that manufacture these products. Their bottom line is profit, and they spend millions, if not billions, on marketing 'campaigns', focus groups, and IMHO, what amounts to psychological 'warfare' on unsuspecting consumers in an effort to part us from the dollars they so gluttonously covet.
The key, of course is being aware. That takes a little work...some planning, some researching, a little forethought. I've been making most of my own cleaning products for a while now, more out of fiscal necessity than for green or healthy purposes. Some may view making laundry detergent and cleaners as a chore...why bother when you can just go buy it? But I find something deeply satisfying in 'doing it myself' instead of relying on someone else to do it for me. Someone who may only have my pocketbook in mind, not my well-being.
I will post some recipes and more links here eventually. For now, I just wanted to get that off my chest!
A few links of interest:
Shoppers Safety Guide a PDF file that "...lists all products tested to date by the Organic Consumers Association (OCA) for the petrochemical carcinogen 1, 4-dioxane."
Natural Health Information Centre Effects of Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS), commonly found in soaps, shampoos, detergents and toothpastes (thanks, atitus2woman, for sharing that link!)
Homemade Laundry Soap Recipes 10 recipes for making your own laundry detergent, liquid and powdered
Integrity is a Lost Virtue, but I Choose to:
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